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🏈 Divisional Round Matchups

Sat 4:30 PM ET: BUF @ DEN (DEN -1, O/U 46)

Denver (No. 1 seed) gets a home Divisional Round game against Buffalo (No. 6) in a rematch of last year’s Wild Card meeting. The Broncos’ pass rush vs. Josh Allen’s ability to survive chaos is the headline.

Injury tracker:
- Bills: S Jordan Poyer (hamstring) OUT, CB Maxwell Hairston (ankle) OUT; LB Terrel Bernard (calf) QUESTIONABLE; S Damar Hamlin (pectoral) QUESTIONABLE; RB Ty Johnson (ankle) QUESTIONABLE; DT Ed Oliver (bicep) QUESTIONABLE; WR Curtis Samuel (elbow) QUESTIONABLE.
- Broncos: TE Lucas Krull (foot) OUT, LB Drew Sanders (ankle) OUT

How the Bills win
- Run it + control time of possession. Buffalo’s best blueprint is the one that worked in last year’s meeting: win on the ground and own time of possession, keep it close so Josh Allen can always save it late.
- Make Denver drive the field. Buffalo’s pass defense is ranked No. 1 per NFL.com, so forcing the Broncos into long, mistake-free possessions is key.

How the Broncos win
- Collapse the pocket without blitzing. Denver led the league with 68 sacks and can get home with their front four - Buffalo lacks the pass catchers to consistently get open if Denver is dropping back while still getting pressure.
- Lean on RJ Harvey + Nix’s legs. Buffalo has shown holes in their run defense, particularly to QBs this season

Prediction: Broncos 27, Bills 24

Sat 8:00 PM ET: SF @ SEA (SEA -7, O/U 45)

NFC West rubber match: Seattle (No. 1) is off the bye after a 13–3 Week 18 win over San Francisco; the 49ers (No. 6) just pulled a road upset in Philly. The 49ers’ offense has to overcome key offensive injuries against one of the top defenses in the league.

Injury tracker:
- 49ers: LB Fred Warner (ankle) OUT; S Ji’Ayir Brown (hamstring) OUT; WR Ricky Pearsall (knee) QUESTIONABLE (plus a few other questionables). OT Trent Williams has no game designation.
- Seahawks: QB Sam Darnold (oblique) QUESTIONABLE; OT Josh Jones (knee) OUT; TE Elijah Arroyo (knee) OUT; CB Tariq Woolen (oblique) worked back to full. Darnold said he expects to play.

How the 49ers win
- Turn it into a points race. We’ve already seen the 49ers lose a low-scoring game as that feeds into the Seahawks strengths. San Francisco’s best chance is to turn this into a shootout and count on Sam Darnold to make mistakes.
- Steal possessions from Darnold. If the 49ers can get ahead early and force Darnold to throw, mistakes can compound especially with the 49ers’ pass rush which had success in week 18

How the Seahawks win
- Let the pass rush set the rules. Seattle’s pressure profile (strong rush without heavy blitzing) matches up well vs. a 49ers offense that has struggled vs. pressure/blitz looks.
- Run-first, protect the QB. Seattle steamrolled SF on the ground in Week 18 (Walker + Charbonnet) and this is the best option to hide Darnold (particularly with him popping up on the injury report)

Prediction: Seahawks 24, 49ers 17

SUN 3:00 PM ET: HOU @ NE (NE -3.5, O/U 40.5)

New England (No. 2) hosts Houston (No. 5) in what profiles as a likely defensive slugfest. After struggling vs the Chargers in Drake Maye’s first playoff game, it won’t get any easier against a Texans defense that has been causing nightmares to opposing QBs all season.

Injury tracker:
- Texans: DNPs - WR Nico Collins (concussion), WR Justin Watson (concussion), T Trent Brown (ankle), DE Denico Autry (knee). Several others limited (including Azeez Al-Shaair, Tytus Howard, Sheldon Rankins, Kamari Lassiter).
Patriots: No DNPs Thursday; LIMITED: OT Morgan Moses, OT Thayer Munford Jr., LB Harold Landry, LB Anfernee Jennings. CB Christian Gonzalez and TE Hunter Henry were full participants.

How the Texans win
- Win up front without blitzing. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter need to keep Maye off balance all day, without needing to lean on blitzes and leaving their secondary open to quick hits.
- Protect CJ Stroud and give him time to make smart decisions. Stroud did not look comfortable against Pittsburgh, responsible for 5 fumbles and 1 INT. The Texans can’t afford those same mistakes against New England.

How the Patriots win
- Use Maye’s legs as the “cheat code.” If Houston doesn’t blitz much and stays in man coverage, Maye needs to quickly identify when he’ll have opportunities to run with the defenses’ backs towards him.
- Keep it clean (no short fields). If Houston’s front constantly gets pressure, New England has to counter with quick-game, play-action shots at the right moments, and protecting the ball.

Prediction: Patriots 20, Texans 10

SUN 6:30 PM ET: LAR @ CHI (LAR -4, O/U 49)

Weather is going to play a major factor as the Bears home field advantage is their best bet at staying in this game vs an explosive Rams offense.

Injury tracker:
- Bears: LB T.J. Edwards (pectoral) OUT, OT Ozzy Trapilo (knee) OUT
- Rams: Overall very healthy injury report

How the Rams win
- Hit chunk plays early. Stafford was among the league leaders on throws 20+ yards and Chicago allowed one of the highest deep completion rates. As long as the weather doesn’t prevent long passes, this is the Rams most likely path to victory.
- Make Caleb Williams play from behind. Get a lead, force obvious pass situations, and let the pass rush hunt. And don’t let the Bears sneak back into the game in the 4th quarter.

How the Bears win
- Keep Stafford off the field. If Chicago can run efficiently and control tempo, it reduces LA’s shot volume and increases the “one mistake flips it” dynamic.
- Make explosives hard. Two-high looks, rally tackling, and forcing LA to string together 10-play drives (especially if weather is nasty).

Prediction: Rams 30, Bears 21

📊 Poll of the Day

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